Evening fell.
Having boarded the train at Beika Station, the group had traveled all the way to the final stop in the mountainous region of Gunma Prefecture.
"The sun is about to set, Shinichi. Are you sure we shouldn't call the police?" Dr. Agasa leaned down and whispered as they stepped out of the station. Before they could even start asking around for news of Mitsuhiko, the fading light was already casting long, ominous shadows over the peaks.
"It looks like our guess was right; he headed straight into the mountains," Conan said, clicking the switch on his tracking glasses.
Mitsuhiko was carrying his Detective Badge, and at this distance, the signal was finally within range.
"Any luck? Can you get through?" Tsuneo asked, noticing that Conan was repeatedly pressing the call button on his own badge.
"He's not responding."
Conan couldn't wrap his head around it. Why wasn't he answering? For now, they had no choice but to follow the signal on the glasses.
"Whew… I'm exhausted."
Deep within the ancient, untamed forest, Mitsuhiko's voice was hoarse. He leaned against a massive tree to catch his breath, his heavy backpack weighing him down. His hands were curled into loose fists as he slumped against the bark.
He was lost—there was no doubt about that.
His Detective Badge was buried deep inside his bag. The chirping call was loud enough that he knew it was likely Conan and the others looking for him.
"Mitsuhiko!"
"Lemon-scented Mitsuhiko!"
"If you don't come out right now, Tsuneo-san is going to squeeze you into juice!"
From far in the distance, Genta's voice echoed through the trees.
Hearing the sheer volume, Mitsuhiko guessed they were using some kind of megaphone or amplifier. The sound was distorted and chaotic, likely coming from multiple directions at once. It took three or four repetitions before he could make out the actual words.
"What should I do…" Mitsuhiko looked down at his palms, which were still held in that strange, half-closed position. He gritted his teeth, forced himself upright, and began limping toward the source of the noise.
I've come this far, and everyone is here for me… I can't give up now!
"Mitsuhiko!"
"I found the secret you hid under your bed!"
"Come out this instant!"
Genta was holding a large megaphone in each hand, shouting nonsense at the top of his lungs under the repairman's explicit instructions.
The devices were high-powered; the sound was so thunderous that the others had to keep a significant distance just to protect their ears.
"You really have a way of doing things…" Conan muttered, giving Tsuneo a flat look.
"It's alright, but those giant speakers from the electronics store would have been better," Tsuneo replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "Too bad we didn't have a portable generator."
"The signal is getting closer!"
Conan checked his glasses and gave Genta a nod. "Keep going!"
"Mitsuhiko!"
"Hey! It's dangerous here! What do you think you're doing?!"
Genta had only managed two more shouts before a man in a white dress shirt and slacks, sporting a distinct center-parted hairstyle, came sprinting out from the other side of the woods.
"I have the strangest feeling I've seen this guy somewhere before," Tsuneo said, narrowing his eyes.
"It's Officer Yamamura from the Gunma Prefecture Police," Conan identified him instantly.
Misao Yamamura… Conan sighed. Looking at that familiar, bumbling expression, he knew the most unreliable man in the force had arrived.
"Ah-re? You're Conan-kun from Mr. Mouri's place, aren't you? And that face…" Yamamura crossed his arms, staring intensely at the repairman. He seemed to be racking his brain trying to remember where he'd seen Tsuneo before, completely forgetting why he had run over in the first place.
"Officer Yamamura, why are you here?" Conan interrupted, breaking the detective's trance.
Yamamura was wearing white gloves—hardly the attire for a casual hike. Something was definitely wrong.
"Genta, keep shouting!" the young detective urged.
"Uh—"
"Please, you all need to leave immediately. It's incredibly dangerous," Yamamura said, his voice dropping an octave as he puffed out his chest. "There is a brutal criminal hiding in this forest as we speak."
"A criminal?!" Dr. Agasa gasped.
"I'm not supposed to make this public, but one of my seniors let the suspect slip away while they were searching the scene for evidence. It's that serial killer… Ki'ichiro Numabuchi!"
Yamamura didn't treat them like strangers at all. He leaned in close, whispering the name with a mix of dread and excitement.
"What?!"
Conan's expression shifted instantly. He remembered Numabuchi—the man was a lunatic. Back in Osaka, Conan had nearly been stabbed by that crazed individual. If Mitsuhiko crossed paths with someone like that…
"Wait? You're saying that Mitsuhiko kid you're looking for is actually in this forest?!" Yamamura's voice spiked in volume, his face twisting with alarm.
"Mitsuhiko!" Genta screamed into the megaphones again.
"I say, Yamamura! Why haven't you finished up over there yet?!" A balding officer poked his head out from a dense thicket. From the look of him, this was the "senior" who had allowed the suspect to escape.
"But, sir—"
Before Yamamura could finish, the balding senior barked, "Numabuchi escaped right from under your nose! Pull yourself together and start the search immediately!"
"Hmph. Numabuchi only got away because you left your post to go to the bathroom," Yamamura grumbled at his senior's retreating back.
"So… you're the one who actually let him get away, right?" Tsuneo said, completely unimpressed. This man was a walking disaster.
"Well, anyway! I'm sure I've seen you in the newspapers!" Yamamura said, tilting his head as he looked at Tsuneo. "Do you have a criminal record?"
"Tsuneo-san is a detective. He's in the news for solving cases," Ayumi spoke up, defending him.
"A de-detective? Like Mr. Mouri?" Yamamura nodded slowly, as if the concept were finally sinking in. "I guess that sounds right. Well, it doesn't matter! Arresting Ki'ichiro Numabuchi is our top priority now!"
"Officer Yamamura, did you already forget about the little boy we told you about?" Dr. Agasa asked. He couldn't believe how quickly the man's focus shifted.
"I'll go find him," Tsuneo said. He reached out and slid the tracking glasses off Conan's face, then took off running toward the source of the signal.
Numabuchi is dangerous. We can't afford to waste time with this clown.
"Right! I need to go inform my senior first!"
Yamamura quickly led the remaining group toward the staging area where the other officers were supposed to be gathering.
"Are you sure this is the spot?" Genta asked, looking at the completely empty clearing. There wasn't a soul in sight. "Did you get lost?"
"It should be here… That's weird. Let me call them…"
After a frantic search through his pockets, Yamamura's face went pale. He realized he had left his mobile phone in the patrol car. He seemed to deflate instantly, his shoulders sagging.
"I'm doomed. First, I let the culprit escape during the evidence search. Then, in just a few minutes, I lose my way back. And now there's a child in the forest whose life is at stake…"
"I only became a police officer because I loved cop movies. After all the trouble I went through to join the force… it turns out I'm just not cut out for this…"
For some reason, Yamamura had suddenly entered a deep state of existential melancholy.
"Don't worry. The boy will be fine, and the criminal will be caught," Conan said, attempting to steady the man's nerves. He began listing off several cases Yamamura had "solved" (with Conan's help) as examples of his competence.
"Wow! You're amazing!" Genta added, throwing in some forced encouragement.
"Officer, your forehead is so broad; you must be incredibly intelligent!" Ayumi added with a bright, supportive smile.
"One can tell just by looking at you," Haibara added, crossing her arms and joining in on the charade. "You are clearly a policeman who relies on his vast intellect to solve crimes."
If we want to get moving, she thought, I suppose we'll all have to lie together…
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